Wrapping forming apparatus in packaging machines



Sept. 19, 1967 WRAPPING FORMING APPARATUS IN PACKAGING MACHINES Filed April 27, 1965 FIG. I. p i

INVENTOR GUNTER REINECKE ATTORNEY.

G- RE INECKE 3,342,115 r United States Patent Ofifice Patented Sept. 19, 1967 3,342,115 WRAPPING FORMING APPARATUS 1N PACKAGING MACHINES Gunter Reinecke, Wuppertal-Elberfeld, Germany, assignor to Benz & Hilgers G.m.b.H., Dusseldorf, Germany, a

corporation of Germany Filed Apr. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 451,272 3 Claims. (Cl. 93-51) The present invention relates to a wrapping forming apparatus in packaging machines in general and to such apparatus which comprises conveyor-, aligningand prefolding members for a flatly disposed wrapping sheet cut, as well as a folding box, through the folding channel of which the cut is pressed through by means of a die and thereby is deformed to a wrapping envelope open at its top in particular.

In machines for wrapping of preferably soft-plastic, fatty material as butter, margarine and the like, generally the wrapping cut is fed by cross cuts of a length of material taken from a roller between feeding rollers of a wrapping forming apparatus consisting of a folded box and a die. The cut is thereby pressed through the folding channel by means of a die and, thereby, deformed to a wrapping envelope open at its top. A wrapping cell pass ing below the folding box takes the wrapping and feeds the same to a dosing device. Thereafter, the wrapping is closed by folding over of the wrapping sheet ends extending beyond the filling material.

Since the correct structure of the wrapping depends to a great extent from the position of the cut below the wrapping die, particular conveyor guide and aligning members are required between the cross cutter producing the cut and the wrapping die. Thus, for instance, a prefolder folding down the cut with its leg members and formed of U-shape is provided in the feeding direction of the out directly in front of and behind the wrapping die, the purpose of the pro-folder residing in securing the out against displacement by the engaging wrapping die and to give the same a slight trough-shape, which favors the cup formation. The presence of the pro-folding member disposed rearwardly in the direction of conveying prevents the arrangement of feeding rollers.

In order to assure, however, the conveyance of the cut up to below to the wrapping die, the so-called prethrower has been developed, which comprises a swinging lever disposed below the conveyance plane, which grips during its swinging movement the individual cut at its margin disposed rearwardly in the direction of conveying and moves the latter in front thereof up to below the wrapping die.

Two heart folders are disposed at first in the folding channel of the folding box seen in the pushing through direction, which heart folders raise upwardly the end sides of the wrapping which is already of U-shape, while the end folders disposed adjacent thereto fold over the pocketlike end tips toward the end side. Since the folding members are not in position to provide the end sides and the side tips with sharp edges, particular pressure rollers are provided at the lower end of the folding box, which pressure rollers render an exact sharp edged shape to the wrapper prior to the removal from the folding box.

Aside from the fact that the known Wrapping forming apparatus is composed of many individual parts, of which, for instance, the pre-throwers and the prefolders are formed as complicated members controlled for movement in addition to the possibility of disturbances, a further drawback of this known apparatus resides in the fact that this apparatus curtails appreciably the wrapping output of the machine. Furthermore, due to the series arrangement of the different members, they also have a considerable structural length, which in turn disadvantageously interfers with the total length of the Wrapping machine.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a wrapping forming apparatus in packaging machines, which comprises conveyors, aligningand pre-folding members for flatly disposed wrapping sheet cuts, an acceleration device for feeding the cuts by means of a folding box through the folding channel of which the individual cut is pressed through by means of a wrapping die and is thereby deformed to a packaging wrapping open at the top, which is capable to an output not obtained before with the elimination of complicated and disturbance causing members.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a wrapping forming apparatus in wrapping machines, wherein the folding box is equipped with two horizontally mounted rollers, which provide in the conveying direction of the cuts the front and rear limitation of the folding box, the peripheral points of which engage tangentially the upper edge of the folding box. The front roller, serving as acceleration device for the wrapping cut, is driven and cooperates with an engaging, freely rotating swinging roller.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a wrapping forming apparatus in wrapping machines, wherein with these driven rollers, which correspond as to their width to the wrapping die, the out which has been cut from the roller, is fed in an accelerating manner to the folding box, whereby neither the prethrower, nor the pro-folder are required. Furthermore, the rollers also replace the heart folders. Also, the pressure rollers, which cause the sharp edged form of the wrapping envelope, are eliminated at the lower end of the folding box, since by particular recesses in the folding channel, sharp-edged end tips are produced. Due to the fact that the plurality of partly complicated members has been reduced to a few, the following advantages are brought about: Longer life due to the simple and robust construction, shorter structural length due to the few parts and first of all, the appreciable output increase resulting thereform.

With these and other objects in View which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of the wrapping forming apparatus designed in accordance with the present invention jointly with the cutting and conveyor members; and

FIG. 2 is a section along the lines 2-2 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, a length of material 1, consisting of a sheet of metal or of synthetic material and taken from a roller, is fed over a table 2 to a cross cutter 3, thereby, dividing the length of material 1 in individual cuts In.

Two drive gears 5 and 6 are mounted on a drive shaft 4, whereby the smaller gear 5 meshes with a pair of feeding rollers 8 by means of an intermediate gear 7. The peripheral speed of the pair of feeding rollers 8 is adjusted to the speed of the movement of the length of material 1. The cut 1a arrives now within the range of the folding box 9, the upper edge of which is disposed in the conveyance plane of the cut. The folding box 9 itself comprises substantially two walls 10 disposed along the direction of movement of the conveyance device for the cut, which walls 10 are suspended at their upper end from a cross beam 11. The walls 10 are spaced apart from each other at a distance the opening of which corresponds substantially to the width of the folding channel and, thereby, the width of the packaging wrapper 241.

Rollers 13 and 14 are mounted horizontally in the folding channel 12, which rollers 13 and 14 rotate in the direction of movement of the cut and which rollers 13 and 14 have a width complementary to the width of the folding channel 12. The highest point of the rollers 13 and 14 is arranged tangentially on the upper edge of the folding box 9. The inner distance between the two rollers 13 and 14 corresponds with the length of the folding channel 12. Two end engagement members 15 and 16 are provided in a vertical extension of the inner spacing of the rollers 13 and 14, which engagement members 15 and 16 start directly below the rollers 13 and 14 and terminate at the bottom of the folding box 9. Furthermore, a stripper 17 is provided at the lower end of the folding box 9 and an abutment member 18 is arranged at the end of the conveyance device for the cut, the abutment member 18 stopping the cut 1a.

The roller 13 mounted swingably on an arm 19 has at v the center of its peripheral face an annular groove, which receives a small gear 20. The latter is in engagement with the larger drive gear 6 by means of an intermediate gear 21, the drive gear 6 transmitting to the roller 13 about the treble peripheral speed of the feeding rollers 8. A swinging roller 22 engages the roller 13, which swinging roller 22 rotates by frictional engagement with the roller 13.

The wrapping die 23 joining the cut 1a through the folding channel 12 performs a comparatively long stroke until it can transfer the packaging wrapper 24 below the folding box 9 to a cell 26 of a wrapping table 25. The necessary high die speed required for a high output requires that the cut 1a is fed to the folding box 9 at an accelerated speed after the wrapper die 23 has left the folding box 9 and prior to passing the latter during its upward stroke. The fast rotating roller 13 takes care of the fastest transmission of the cut 1a to the folding box, whereby the cut 1a is advanced by the rollers 13 and 14 not only exactly, but is also deformed to a flat cup shape. The wrapper die 23, the bottom face of which corresponds to the bottom face of the packaging Wrapper 24, presses the out In into the folding channel 12, whereby not only the longitudinal sides, but also the two end sides of the cut 1a are folded upwardly with sharp edges exclusively by the two rollers 13 and 14, without applying the previously required heart folders.

The two end tip engaging members 15 and 16 follow directly the rollers 13 and 14 by forming the actual folding channel 12, by which end tip engaging members 15 and 16, the triangular shaped end tips are successively folded over toward the end sides. By the use of the rollers 13 and 14, the wrapper 24 obtains already such sharp edged corners, that the previously required pressure rollers stationed at the lower end of the folding channel 12 can be eliminated. The cell 26 of a stepwise advancing wrapping table 25 receives the packaging wrapper open at its top, whereupon the wrapping die 23 returns in its original position. A holder 17 has then the task to strip off the packaging wrapper 24 surrounding the wrapper die 23, in order to retain the packaging wrapper 24 in the cell 26. The cell 26 moves in the next operating station (not shown) below a closing member, in which the packaging wrapper 24 is fed with a premeasured quantity of material. Again at still another station (not shown), the closing of the wrapper is performed by folding over the upstanding ends of the wrapper sheet and the removal of the finished Wrapping.

While I have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention it is to be understood that this embodiment is given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

I claim:

1. A wrapper forming apparatus in packaging machines, comprising a conveyor member,

an aligning member and a prefolding member,

said members being adapted to move, to align and to prefold a cut of a wrapping sheet,

a folding box defining a folding channel,

a wrapper die movable downwardly and pressing said cut through and across said folding channel, and, thereby, deforming said cut to a packaging wrapping open at its top,

said folding box including two rollers disposed hori- Zontally relative to and spaced apart from each other in the direction of feeding of said out and forming the front and rear limit of said folding box,

the upper edge of said folding box being disposed tangentially to the upper periphery of said rollers,

means for driving the first of said rollers taken in direction of movement of said cut and constituting accelerating means for the movement of said cut, and

a freely rotatable and swinging roller engaging said first of said rollers.

2. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said rollers are of a width complementary to the width of said folding channel and are spaced apart from each other at a distance equivalent to the length of said channel.

3. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 2, which includes two end tip engaging members disposed in the extension of the inner distance between said rollers,

said end tip engaging members starting immediately below said rollers and terminate at the bottom of said folding box.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,643,592 6/1953 Gefiroy 9351 2,977,860 4/1961 Hery 4351 X 2,995,991 8/ 1961 Trelforo 9351 BERNARD STICKNEY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A WRAPPER FORMING APPARATUS IN PACKAGING MACHINES, COMPRISING A CONVEYOR MEMBER, AN ALIGNING MEMBER AND A PREFOLDING MEMBER, SAID MEMBERS BEING ADAPTED TO MOVE, TO ALIGN AND TO PREFOLD A CUT OF A WRAPPING SHEET, A FOLDING BOX DEFINING A FOLDING CHANNEL, A WRAPPER DIE MOVABLE DOWNWARDLY AND PRESSING SAID CUT THROUGH AND ACROSS SAID FOLDING CHANNEL, AND, THEREBY, DEFORMING SAID CUT TO A PACKAGING WRAPPING OPEN AT ITS TOP, SAID FOLDING BOX INCLUDING TWO ROLLERS DISPOSED HORIZONTALLY RELATIVE TO AND SPACED APART FROM EACH OTHER IN THE DIRECTION OF FEEDING OF SAID CUT AND FORMING THE FRONT AND REAR LIMIT OF SAID FOLDING BOX, 